Apparatus for cleaning bowling score cards



March 1, 1966 M. ZINK APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOWLING SCORE CARDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1963 MARVIN ZINK INVENTOR momzonw mOwZOaw BY %n4 .04 ATTORNEY March 1, 1966 M. ZlNK 3,237,231 i APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOWLING SCORE CARDS Filed Dec. 6, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 29 f #4 26 PM? INVENTOR.

ATT Y I: MARVIN ZINK United States Patent 3,237,231 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOWLING SCORE CARDS Marvin Zink, 3500 N. River Road, Salem, Oreg. Filed Dec. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 328,694 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-102) This invention relates to apparatus especially adapted, though not restrictively, for cleaning tabulated score cards such as are used in bowling tournaments and the like, and upon which cards scores made are inscribed by a scorekeeper or by the players themselves with a water soluble wax pencil. The score cards are of standard design usually made of sheet plastic, and because of their unit cost, have been found to be much more economical to clean after each use, than to throw away.

Heretofore, score cards so marked have been cleaned by time-consuming hand washing and drip-dry operations which of course adds to the labor and maintenance costs of operating a bowling alley.

Accordingly it is one of the principal objects of my invention to provide card cleaning apparatus of the character described which is of simple, efficient, durable construction within which a card inserted in one end is picked up by feed-in rollers, advanced between cleaning rollers and then into cooperating push-out rollers which also serve the purpose of ringing the washing fluid from the card being dealt with, so that in a minimum amount of time a used card can be cleaned and made ready for reuse after ejection from the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of this kind which can be either manual y operated or power-driven.

A further object is the provision of means for accurately guiding the card into the machine and stabilizing its passage therethrough without danger of mutilation to the top and bottom surfaces of the card or to the front, rear, or side edges thereof.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan -view of a conventional printed and delineated bowling score card made of plastic and having inscribed thereon, by water soluble wax pencils, the names of the players and the scores progressively earned by them.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a score card washing machine, made in accordance with my invention and with fragments broken away to reveal internal parts.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional top plan view taken approximately along the line 33 of FIGURE 2, showing a score card in the process of being run through the machine.

FIGURE 4 is a View similar to FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional end elevational view taken approximately along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a detail view of power transmission means for operating the machine, and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary end elevational view taken approximately along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 8 is an end elevational view of a rotary brush.

With continuing reference to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts, reference numeral 1 indicates generally a water-tight box-like cabinet having a bottom wall 2, front and rear walls 3 and 4, and side walls 5 and 6.

A lid in the form of a hood 7, having side walls 8 and 9 and a top wall 10, is co-extensive in length and width with the top of the cabinet 1 and is hingedly attached as at 11 to the rearward end thereof by suitable brackets 12. At least one spring latch 14 is hingedly attached as "ice at 15 to one side wall of the cabinet 1 and engageable with a pin 16 secured to the corresponding end of the hood 7. When latched in a closed position the forward bottom end of the hood bears upon spacer blocks 17 and 18 at each forward corner of the cabinet 1 to maintain the hood in elevated spaced relation to the top of the cabinet 1 as clearly shown in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5.

J ournalled as at 20 in both side walls 8 and 9 of the hood 7 are three rollers 21, 22 and 23 whose peripheral surfaces may be rubber covered as at 25 in FIGURE 4 or made of solid live rubber as at 25A in FIGURE 2, Two similar rubber or rubber covered rollers 26-27 of the same diameter as the rollers 21-23 are journalled as at 29 in both side walls 5 and 6 of the cabinet 1 and are normally in rolling contact with each other. A drum 31 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is journalled by its shaft 32, as at 33, in both side walls 5 and 6 of the cabinet 1. The peripheral surface of the drum is provided with a wrap around covering 35 made of terry cloth, towelling, felt, or the like secured to the drum by wedging the abutting edges 36 of the covering within a slot 37 extending full length of the drum 31. Instead of the drum 31 and covering as just described, I may decide to use the rotary brush illustrated in FIGURE 8 which comprises a hub 98 secured to the power driven shaft 32A in any suitable manner and provided with bristles 35A which are of sufficient length to provide paint brush flexibility so as not to damage the smooth surface of the score card 90 in the cleaning operation.

For imparting rotation to the drum 31 secured to the shaft 32 as aforesaid, I provide a crank handle 40' (see FIGS. 3 and 5), secured to the shaft by a set screw 41, for manual operation. For imparting power-driven rotation to the drum I provide a power transmission means within a housing 43, driven by a motor 44 secured as at 45 to the housing 43 and supplied with electrical current through electrical conductors 46 from a source not shown.

The housing 43 is secured as at 50 to a bracket 51 secured as at 52 to the side wall 5 of the cabinet 1. As best illustrated in FIGURE 2 the shaft 32 of the drum 31 is provided with a V-pulley 54 operatively engaged at all times with the bottom run 55 of a V-belt 56 entrained over V-pulleys 58 and 59 secured respectively to the shafts 60 and 61 of the rollers 26 and 27 for imparting rotation to those rollers in the direction of the arrows applied thereto in FIGURE 4. Such rotation of the rollers 26-27 will impart reverse rotation to their respective companion rollers 21 and 23 because of the frictional engagement therebetween, while the drum 31 is driven in a direction opposite to that of the rollers 26-27 by either the crank 40 or by the motor driven power transmission means 43.

Two identical card-supporting shelves -71 (see FIG. 2) are hingedly attached respectively as at 72 and 73 to the top end of the front and rear walls 3 and 4 of the cabinet 1, and provided with toggle arms 75 and 76 for holding the shelves either in a horizontally extended position as at 70 at the forward end of the machine, or for maintaining them in the downwardly folded position as shown in full lines at the rearward end of the cabinet for compactness in storage or transportation.

The forward shelf 70 is provided with upwardly diverging cooperating guide rails 80 slidably adjustable transversely of the shelf by bolts 81 slidable within slots 82 (see FIG. 3) in the shelf and lockable thereto by means of thumb screws or look nuts 84.

Each score card, indicated at in FIGURES 3 and 4 with its inscribed surface facing downwardly, is placed upon the shelf 70 and automatically gravitationally aligned longitudinally with the shelf and the cabinet by means of the guide rails 80 and then advanced into the forward end of the cabinet over and beyond a platform 91 Where it is picked up by the rollers 21 and 26 and advanced thereby between stabilizing members 92-93 secured as at 94 to the side walls 8 and 9 of the hood and to the corresponding walls and 6 of the cabinet. Continuing rotation of the rollers 21 and 26 will advance the card between the roller 22 rotating in one direction and the oppositely rotating cleaning drum 31 and from there, through similar stabilizing members 96, and then between the push-out rollers 23 and 27, over a platform 97 and finally out onto the shelf 71 when that shelf is in broken line horizontal position shown in FIG- URE 2 and full line position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

As previously stated the soluble pencil markings on the score cards may be readily removed by water or any other suitable fluid such as indicated at 98 within the cabinet 1 and picked up by the rotating drum 31 or rotary brush 98 whose respective covering 35 or bristles 35A will wash away the markings from the card while the card is being forced between the roller 22 and the drum 31 in the direction of the arrow applied to the card in FIGURE 3. The roller rotating in the direction indicated maintains the card 90 under sufficient downward pressure against the oppositely rotating covering 35 of the drum to effect thorough cleansing. The efiicient wringer action of the push-out rollers 23 and 27 ejects the card from the machine in condition for re-use.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for cleaning one side of a normally flat flexible sheet and comprising in combination,

a liquid tight cabinet for continuing a supply of cleaning fluid therein,

a closure hood,

means hingedly attaching the hood to one end of the cabinet,

a cleaning drum-driving means extending outwardly from one wall of the cabinet,

a first series of three resilient-surfaced friction rollers including an intermediate idling roller,

means rotatably mounting said first series of rollers within said hood,

two other resilient-surfaced friction rollers rotatably mounted within said cabinet and engageable with the first and third friction rollers of the first series and underlying the same when said hood is closed,

a cleaning drum rotatably mounted under said idling roller and engagea ble therewith within the cabinet and having a diameter larger than said idling roller for contacting the cleaning fluid and having a driving connection with said cleaning drum-driving means for rotation in one direction and a driving connection with said two other rollers to impart rotation thereto in an opposite direction,

said two other friction rollers by their rolling contact with said friction rollers of the first series adapted to impart rotation to the last mentioned rollers in an opposite direction for squeezing cleaning fluid off said flexible sheet,

cooperating sheet-supporing means carried by said closure and said cabinet extending full length thereof and adapted to guide a sheet into progressive engagement with the friction rollers of said first series and said other two rollers for passage thereby be tween said oppositely rotating cleaning drum and idling roller to be pressed downwardly by the latter against the cleaning drum to partake of the cleaning action thereof.

2. The machine as defined in claim 1 in which said drive means comprises a motor-operated drive operatively connected to said cleaning drum and said two other resilient-surfaced friction rollers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 663,282 12/1900 Kress 6838 2,263,131 11/1941 I-Ioza 15-77 X 2,688,281 9/1954 Bornemann -89 2,910,043 10/1959 Borden 118249 X 3,098,249 7/1963 Tice et a1. 154

FOREIGN PATENTS 126,180 1/1932 Austria.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner, WALTER A. SCHEEL, Examiner, 

1. A MACHINE FOR CLEANING ONE SIDE OF A NORMALLY FLAT FLEXIBLE SHEET COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A LIQUID TIGHT CABINET FOR CONTINUING A SUPPLY OF CLEANING FLUID THEREIN, A CLOSURE HOOD, MEANS HINGEDLY ATTACHING THE HOOD TO ONE END OF THE CABINET, A CLEANING DRUM-DRIVING MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM ONE WALL OF THE CABINET, A FIRST SERIES OF THREE RESILIENT-SURFACED FRICTION ROLLERS INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE IDLING ROLLER, MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING SAID FIRST SERIES OF ROLLERS WITHIN SAID HOOD, TWO OTHER RESILIENT-SURFACED FRICTION ROLLERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CABINET AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE FIRST AND THIRD FRCITION ROLLERS OF THE FIRST SERIES AND UNDERLYING THE SAME WHEN SAID HOOD IS CLOSED, A CLEANING DRUM ROTATABLY MOUNTED UNDER SAID IDLING ROLLER AND ENGAGEABLE THEREWITH WITHIN THE CABINET AND HAVING A DIAMETER LARGER THAN SAID IDLING ROLLER FOR CONTACTING THE CLEANING FLUID AND HAVING A DRIVING CONNECTION WITH SAID CLEANING DRUM-DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATION IN ONE DIRECTION AND A DRIVING CONNECTION WITH SAID TWO OTHER ROLLERS TO IMPART ROTATION THERETO IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID TWO OTHER FRICTION ROLLERS BY THEIR ROLLING CONTACT WITH SAID FRICTION ROLLERS OF THE FIRST SERIES ADAPTED TO IMPART ROTATION TO THE LAST MENTIONED ROLLERS IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOR SQUEEZING CLEANING FLUID OFF SAID FLEXIBLE SHEET, COOPERATING SHEET-SUPPORTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CLOSURE AND SAID CABINET EXTENDING FULL LENGTH THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO GUIDE A SHEET INTO PROGRESSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FRICTION ROLLERS OF SAID FIRST SERIES AND SAID OTHER TWO ROLLERS FOR PASSAGE THEREBY BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITELY ROTATING CLEANING DRUM AND IDLING ROLLER TO BE PRESSED DOWNWARDLY BY THE LATTER AGAINST THE CLEANING DRUM TO PARTAKE OF THE CLEANING ACTION THEREOF. 